Post by Inouken on Jan 16, 2013 23:40:59 GMT -5
Leonard blinked at the detective and tried to hide his confusion. The man didn't know anything about physics? Leonard had just assumed that as part of his subconscious, the detective would osmotically comprehend him, but his reactions were beginning to make it look as though he was almost his own person, his knowledge divorced from Leonard's own except on the most rudimentary level. It was a disturbing thought. If Leonard's mind had created a separate consciousness to question the perceptions of his own self-worth and identity, then God help him; he was truly insane.
Maybe the guy was just being purposefully obtuse. Testing his patience. Anything to keep him from reasoning his way out. Leonard frowned, about to protest the possibility of 'dragon teleportation,' but then the detective was moving on, steering the conversation in a direction Leonard never would have expected.
He started to apologize.
Leonard felt his train of thought derail, careen off a cliff and crash into the jagged rocks of his incredulity. "Oh, um," he said. He opened his mouth, then shut it, unsure of the social etiquette required for the situation. "It's fine," he said eventually, a reflexive response that was hardwired into his brain since the 4th stage of his psychosocial development.
Learned passivity.
Leonard bit the inside of his cheek, acutely aware that nothing was fine because clearly he didn't understand a damn thing that was going on with this hallucination. He bullied him, then apologized, asked for answers but refused the ones Leonard offered. It was horrendously frustrating, and Leonard quickly re-evaluated the detective's words, latching onto the one thing he could remediate with any degree of certainty.
"It's Leonard," he said awkwardly. "My name, just call me Leonard. Dr. Hofstadter is my mother. Um, and father. And brother." He paused, feeling foolish that he was compelled to explain the distinction at all. He wrapped and unwrapped the wires around his fingers as Sheldon watched curiously from his shoulder.
"Just so you know, Detective," Leonard started again, trailing off before deciding that he was already committed. "Teleportation isn't possible, either. I mean, it is. The mechanics of quantum physics have shown that particles can teleport through a process known as entanglement, but the matrix of particles for a living organism is so complex that recreating the organism's quantum state in another location would be highly improbable." Leonard realized he was babbling and stopped himself, started shifting on his feet. He hadn't meant to say it really, but he felt that somehow this point had been crucial to make.
Leonard's mouth twitched into a facsimile of a smile. He wound the wires tighter and wondered just how long it would take for the detective to accept his argument, or better yet, to turn around and leave as he had promised.
Maybe the guy was just being purposefully obtuse. Testing his patience. Anything to keep him from reasoning his way out. Leonard frowned, about to protest the possibility of 'dragon teleportation,' but then the detective was moving on, steering the conversation in a direction Leonard never would have expected.
He started to apologize.
Leonard felt his train of thought derail, careen off a cliff and crash into the jagged rocks of his incredulity. "Oh, um," he said. He opened his mouth, then shut it, unsure of the social etiquette required for the situation. "It's fine," he said eventually, a reflexive response that was hardwired into his brain since the 4th stage of his psychosocial development.
Learned passivity.
Leonard bit the inside of his cheek, acutely aware that nothing was fine because clearly he didn't understand a damn thing that was going on with this hallucination. He bullied him, then apologized, asked for answers but refused the ones Leonard offered. It was horrendously frustrating, and Leonard quickly re-evaluated the detective's words, latching onto the one thing he could remediate with any degree of certainty.
"It's Leonard," he said awkwardly. "My name, just call me Leonard. Dr. Hofstadter is my mother. Um, and father. And brother." He paused, feeling foolish that he was compelled to explain the distinction at all. He wrapped and unwrapped the wires around his fingers as Sheldon watched curiously from his shoulder.
"Just so you know, Detective," Leonard started again, trailing off before deciding that he was already committed. "Teleportation isn't possible, either. I mean, it is. The mechanics of quantum physics have shown that particles can teleport through a process known as entanglement, but the matrix of particles for a living organism is so complex that recreating the organism's quantum state in another location would be highly improbable." Leonard realized he was babbling and stopped himself, started shifting on his feet. He hadn't meant to say it really, but he felt that somehow this point had been crucial to make.
Leonard's mouth twitched into a facsimile of a smile. He wound the wires tighter and wondered just how long it would take for the detective to accept his argument, or better yet, to turn around and leave as he had promised.